Phil Munsterman

AGE
33RESIDENCE
Arvada (6 years)HOMETOWN
ArvadaPROFESSION
TeacherEDUCATION
University of Puget Sound, B.A. Religion, Relay Graduate School of Education, MA Teaching, Currently enrolled in Phillips Seminary to earn an Masters in DivinityFAMILY
Parents are Ron, Ann Munsterman, Two siblings, Legal Guardian to amazing young manEXPERIENCE
10 years as a Public School Teacher, Board Member for Two Non-ProfitsWEBSITEphilmunsterman.comFACEBOOKphil4RTDTWITTER@pmunsterman

Why are you running for office?
I was raised to believe government and its elected officials work to serve all of its people. RTD has lost sight of that dream. I have been a teacher for 10 years, spending the last 7 at a Title One school in DPS. I have seen firsthand how the choices that our current RTD board have hurt our students. Denver Public Schools has a school of choice policy, allowing any student in Denver to choose the school they want regardless of location. The problem that we have run into with this policy is that DPS does not provide busing for its high school students. Thus, we have a system that allows families with the financial means to choose the school that is the best for their student while other families are forced to make difficult choices. Other cities have figured out how to provide equitable transportation for students, for low income families and individuals. I know Denver can do the same. I am asking to be your representative to build an equitable and strong transportation system for the Metro Denver region.

What three policy issues set you apart from your opponent(s)?
First and foremost, I see RTD as a public service that serves all people and should not continue to be run as a private bus company. I believe that the future of RTD includes both the expansion of light rail as well as increased bus routes. While we have had delays and issues with light rail over the past few years, I don’t believe that we should abandon these projects, in fact, I think we need more. The Northwest Rail (B-Line ) needs to be completed as soon as possible to fulfill the promise that was made to voters. Finally, RTD needs to be more involved in supporting first and last mile transportation. The system is losing riders to citizens who will use ride sharing for their full journey instead of just to the nearest RTD station. I believe in a system that is fair, equitable, and accessible for all.

What are the biggest areas of agreement between you and your opponent(s)?
All three of us agree that the delays on the Gold Line to Arvada are unacceptable. Families and businesses purchased homes and retail space with the idea that they would have easy access to the light rail. The promise of the Gold Line is two years behind schedule and while hopefully completed here soon, has damaged the reputation of RTD in Northwest Denver. We all also agree that the passage of Proposition 110 is essential to continue to fund the improvements that we need for our region. This small sales tax will be distributed to the different transportation organizations to fix and improve the infrastructure of our region.

Has RTD done enough to improve the region’s transit system? What should RTD be doing going forward to keep pace with growth?
The passage of FasTracks was a huge step in the right direction for improving transit in our city. However, much more still needs to be done. First and foremost, the opening of the G line, and the building and completion of the B line is essential. Secondly, RTD needs to continue to review its fare structure. The recent increase in fares kept Denver at the second highest rates in the nation for a city our size. This is unacceptable and we can do better. Third, RTD needs to improve its communication and education programs in our region. We need a coordinated campaign with cities and C-DOT to encourage use of public transportation. Finally, as our region continues to grow, RTD needs to be working in collaboration with cities and developers, making sure that RTD routes and stops are meeting the needs of new developments and low-income areas.

Denver Post Voter Guide

What’s the balance in prioritizing service for low-income riders who have no other options vs. service for riders of choice to reduce traffic congestion?
The goal for RTD should be to increase ridership for all riders to reduce traffic congestion, to reduce pollution, and to improve access to essential needs. A good public transportation system should not focus on just one group of riders, but provide equitable access to all riders. Recently, RTD voted on recommendations proposed by a non-partisan group of individuals called the Pass Program Working Group. These recommendations were then brought to the communities through a series of town halls across the region hosted by RTD. The recommendations made by the Pass Program Working Group work to provide a fiscally sustainable model while addressing the needs of low-income riders. This was a good start, but we cannot think that the job has ended. As our region continues to grow, so will the demand and need for affordable and accessible public transportation. I would like to help lead that conversation as a member of the RTD Board of Directors.

Denver recently rolled out a plan to ramp up its efforts on bus and transit. What’s RTD’s role in working with the city on that?
Communication between RTD and the municipalities that RTD serves is of an utmost importance. If we are going to solve the transportation issues that affects our regions, communication between RTD, C-DOT, and cities needs to public and transparent. There have been efforts led by cities to increase bus routes which have been turned down by RTD. The intersection between public transportation and cities is essential, especially as we continue to see the Northwest region receive less than its fair share of access to public transportation. We must find common ground and solutions together or we will continue to have areas that lack access to public transportation.

Bob Wilson

AGE
72RESIDENCE
Arvada (over 20 years)HOMETOWN
Omaha, NebraskaPROFESSION
Energy systems engineerEDUCATION
BSEE (Electrical; Engineering), Masters in EE and Mathematics, Ph.D. in EEFAMILY
Wife, son, daughter-in-law and three grandsons.EXPERIENCE
Thirty years in energy systems engineering, worked for US DOE for 26 years, four years in academia.WEBSITEbobwilsonforrtd.comFACEBOOKBobWilsonForRTDTWITTER
n/a

Why are you running for office?
I am running to advance public transportation. I know that efficient public transit benefits society in many ways: helping people get to and from their doctors’ offices, work, shopping, and sporting events. When people use transit there is less congestion, it’s better for the environment, vehicles of craftsmen and craftswomen can get to their jobs quicker, deliveries go more efficiently.

I want to apply my problem-solving engineering background and more than 15 years of volunteer focus on transit to the many challenges RTD faces.

What three policy issues set you apart from your opponent(s)?
Policy 1: I fully support the recommendations of the RTD Affordable Fares working group to add reduced fares for low-income riders and youth to the existing fare structure.

Policy 2: I strongly support the people who operate and maintain the transit system. After a vigorous interview I received the endorsement of the 2,700-member Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1001. As a frequent transit rider I have actively reached out to bus operators, seeking their input on work-related concerns.

Policy 3: I am a strong advocate for the electrification of all transportation. From my background of 30 years in electrical energy engineering, I have the background and tools to promote the electrification of rail transit, electric buses, hybrids and all-electric cars and autonomous vehicles.

What are the biggest areas of agreement between you and your opponent(s)?
All candidates in RTD District L want more and better transit services.

Has RTD done enough to improve the region’s transit system? What should RTD be doing going forward to keep pace with growth?
“I think RTD has done good planning for the major backbones of transit, namely rail transit and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), reaching out into the 8-county district. Specifically, for areas south of I-70 the SE rail will be expanded farther into Douglas County in 2019 when the expansion into Lone Tree opens. FasTracks calls for the extension of the SW rail line into Highlands Ranch when funds become available.

For areas north of I-70, RTD and the contractor Denver Transit Partners (DTP), have a major failure in their ability to open the G Line to Denver, Adams County, Arvada, and Wheat Ridge. The roadway crossing safety systems that control the lights, bells, and gates are still having problems. These problems have caused the Feds (FRA) to demand DTP have crossing guards at all road crossings. Recently the crossing guards were removed on the line to DIA but had to be put back when more problems were discovered! RTD and DTP have yet to set an opening date for the G line. The horns on the test trains are making people (like my wife and me) unhappy, frustrated and very angry.

The North Metro (N) line is under construction opening in 2019 or 2020 with transit service up to 144th Avenue/Eastlake. RTD owns the right-of-way past 162nd Avenue for future extension of this line. Expansion of the NW Rail into Boulder and Longmont is called for in the 2004 FasTracks plan and remains a difficult problem which must be solved.

Buses are the workhorses of transit and move the most people. Service could be expanded if/when RTD has the operating funds and enough trained bus operators/drivers. However, buses need roadways to travel on, which returns to the issue of maintaining our roads and highways. Therefore, I advocate for a total transportation solution: roads and highways (CDOT, cities, counties), RTD, other transportation service providers (Chariot, Lyft, Uber, etc.), and bicycle/and walking routes.

Looking forward, RTD needs to assign a staff member the task of monitoring transit industry trends and act as an RTD Futurist. One example would be to partner with others to solve the “first and last mile” challenge. This means transporting residents between their homes or businesses and the bus or rail station. An option I recommend is electrically-powered autonomous vehicles . With people on transit, congestion will be reduced and our environment will benefit from less pollution.”

What’s the balance in prioritizing service for low-income riders who have no other options vs. service for riders of choice to reduce traffic congestion?
I want to provide service for low-income riders who have no other options by having a fare structure that serves this population without significantly impacting the RTD budget. I support the recommendation of the Pass Program Working Group, a 25-member group of citizens and RTD staff, to provide reduced fares for low income riders and youth. In order to fund this benefit, general fares would have to be raised by 10 cents beyond the already planned fare increase to adjust for inflation. However, there would be a sizable jump in the fare to DIA, which could be difficult for many workers at DIA.

The RTD board is scheduled to vote on this issue on September 18, 2018. If I were on the Board, I would vote in favor.

Denver recently rolled out a plan to ramp up its efforts on bus and transit. What’s RTD’s role in working with the city on that?
Denver-based RTD serves a large area of 2,342 square miles with about 2.92 million people. No one agency can serve all the transit needs of a region this large and spread out. RTD should selectively partner with the City and County of Denver (CCD) and other entities on transit options focusing on specialized services and routes that can’t be provided by the larger transit system. One example of a proposed partnership with CCD is discussed in the Denver Post article of August 31, 2018.

Shelley Cook

AGE
59RESIDENCE
Arvada (35 years)HOMETOWN
WestminsterPROFESSION
Non-Profit General ManagerEDUCATION
B.S. and M.B.A., University of Colorado; M.P.A., Harvard Kennedy School of GovernmentFAMILY
No children; a sister, nieces, cousins and close friends are important in my personal life.EXPERIENCE
I have a background focused on getting things done — both as policymaker when on Arvada’s City Council, and in the community as a non-profit manager. Was part of the leadership in advancing transportation in Arvada, working on sticky roadway issues and helping to get the Gold Line/G Line on the region’s radar. In the community, I launched and managed the A-Line shuttle for more than a dozen years — a popular service we devised to fill the gap when RTD service was discontinued to the northwest side. And more recently developed a mobile farm stand, bringing locally grown fresh produce to food deserts in Arvada.WEBSITEshelleycook4rtd.comFACEBOOKShelleyCook4RTDTWITTER@Shelley_Cook

Why are you running for office?
I know how important affordable, convenient and reliable transportation is for people in their everyday lives, and have seen firsthand how quality transit can be a key part of the picture. RTD’s services can and should play a bigger role than they do now — to help more people, more meaningfully reduce congestion and emissions, and contribute to greater community well-being. I hope to take my experience in operating a small transit organization — from learning what worked for a broad swath of residents — and combine that with a background in advocacy as a member of an elected board, some training in transportation economics and familiarity with government budgeting, plus a knack for innovating as a way to address problems.

What three policy issues set you apart from your opponent(s)?
1. The key issue in much of District L, near term, is the G Line, and everyone agrees it needs to be operating as promised. But if it’s not by January, and even if it is, my position is that a clear-eyed, comprehensive assessment is warranted to set a path forward and glean lessons learned. These public-private partnerships and ‘design-build’ approaches are an important and increasingly common way to move forward on complex major infrastructure like the G (and the N Line, also delayed) — but they need to work.

2. My major focus on increasing ridership across the board, on expanding the number of people who value and can use transit as part of their transportation mix. To do so will require innovating, an emphasis on seizing the moment of change underway in transportation to pursue thoughtful, cost-effective new options.

3. A conviction that pricing, with convenience, is a key piece and that after adopting the new fare structure (expected by the time this appears) RTD will not be done; it needs to look at affordability overall, including re-examining fare/ridership assumptions, considering whether some transit services might be reinforced with pricing, and actively exploring and facilitating a suite of services where at least some people would willingly forgo ownership of a vehicle, retain full mobility, and save money by doing so.

What are the biggest areas of agreement between you and your opponent(s)?
I believe we all agree on the importance and desirability of having a good transit network and services. Also, I think we each have real respect and appreciation for the people who deliver RTD services, including drivers, operators, dispatchers, planners and so forth.

Has RTD done enough to improve the region’s transit system? What should RTD be doing going forward to keep pace with growth?
RTD has done much through the substantial build-out of FasTracks. Getting to the finish line will require persistence and creativity but even that won’t be enough. One of the big challenges is making sure residents and businesses in all areas, and not just close to the rapid transit system, benefit from the major investment this region has made. Fortunately there is a terrific amount of innovation in transportation right now, offering the potential to expand service even in outlying areas, via ‘first and last mile’ initiatives. RTD has identified 15 representative stations as potential pilot sites. One station is the end of line of the G — the point of most likely transit access for people in high growth areas on the northwest side (which is also where service coverage is lowest.) This is a key effort, one I’d support including on funding decisions.

What’s the balance in prioritizing service for low-income riders who have no other options vs. service for riders of choice to reduce traffic congestion?
I don’t accept the assumption that it’s either-or, that RTD can provide quality service to low-income individuals or serve a broader group to get more cars off the road, but not both. Also, the framing risks a devaluing of the great public good realized when transit is used by larger numbers and all kinds of people. Yes, the agency absolutely needs to know and be especially careful about service to low income, elderly, students, disabled and other transit-dependent individuals and groups. But cultivating a robust ridership in my view and experience makes the agency better able to do that. If you can sustain a significant portion of ridership by people paying regular fares on a per-boarding basis, then you have greater financial wherewithal to carry some services at higher net cost or less than optimal use — to meet RTD’s social mission in this respect — as well as realize the added and vital societal benefits of reduced congestion, less environmental impact, improved public health and personal independence and mobility.

Denver recently rolled out a plan to ramp up its efforts on bus and transit. What’s RTD’s role in working with the city on that?
The plan offers the prospect of greater service and leveraged dollars. A key will be coordination — negotiating as needed on routing, scheduling for timed transfers and more to assure that the two operate well together and for all passengers. There is an issue of equity to consider, too, in terms of regional service provision. Partnering with Denver or any community to bolster services seems like it can be a win-win, but care should be taken that in doing so RTD does not compromise services in the rest of the region.

More in Voter Guide 2018

New reports and studies continue to emerge on Proposition 112, the oil and gas setbacks measure, just days before election day on Tuesday. The high-stakes ballot issue has attracted millions of dollars on the campaign finance side as stakeholders on both sides of the issue try to convince voters of their arguments.